SANTIAGO – Chile wants to overcome the imaginary barrier of the six million foreign tourists in 2017, a goal that seems tangible starting from the good results of the hospitality industry in this South American country.
The director of the National Tourism Service (Sernatur), Marcela Cabezas, told reporters Tuesday that record numbers of foreign visitors exceeded expectations in 2016, when it reached 5.6 million.
She said last year they recorded a 26% increase compared to 2015, that is, five million 640 thousand people, who generated a foreign exchange income of 3,907 billion dollars.
The projections speak of a floor in the arrival of 6.4 million tourists by 2017, stressed the official.
One of the major attractions of this South American nation is the Region of Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica, with the exuberant beauty of snowy landscapes.
“We have fauna, flora, wild protected areas, native peoples; eight million 700,000 hectares for conservation, and only 5% of them is accessible to visitors,” said Lorena Araya, Sernatur’s director for the area.
She highlighted places of interest such as Torres del Paine National Park, with the beauty of the imposing Cuernos del Paine.
The Strait of Magellan, Cape Horn and Tierra del Fuego, which has allowed the region a sustained growth.
According to national Sernatur, the top 10 countries from which foreign tourists travel regularly to Chile are from Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, the United States, Colombia, Spain, Germany, France and Australia.
